


Lips of an Angel

by a1_kitkat



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alex is a skater boy, Boys Kissing, Episode Related, Falling In Love, Flirting, High School, Homework, M/M, Malex, Michael is a nerd, Not Beta Read, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 07:55:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17741951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: A school assignment sees Michael and Alex having to work together which leads to them bonding which then leads to a kiss at the museumWARNING!!!! ITS NOT TAGGED AS SUCH BUT THERE IS A VERY BRIEF MENTION OF ATTEMPTED MOLESTATION. VERY BRIEF BUT IT IS THERE SO BE WARNED!





	Lips of an Angel

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING!!!! ITS NOT TAGGED AS SUCH BUT THERE IS A VERY BRIEF MENTION OF ATTEMPTED MOLESTATION. VERY BRIEF BUT IT IS THERE SO BE WARNED!
> 
> Based on a episode of the original TV series in which the students are paired up to complete questionnaires about each other. 
> 
> Yes, I'm taking another stab at their first kiss
> 
> Also, I'm once again borrowing from the original TV show as not enough has been shown of the characters backstories for this series. Is Alex's mother alive or dead? Who knows.

Michael was absently scribbling odd symbols on the back page of his notebook while half-heartedly listening to whatever the teacher, Mr Morris, was telling the class. He knew he was waffling on about some assignment but he only snapped to attention when the teacher said he’d be pairing the students up to write a paper about each other.  
He turned around and caught Max’s eye, his friend looked as concerned as he felt. He turned back towards Mr Morris as the teacher handed out the assignments.

Michael’s eyes scanned the page. A series of questions stared back at him, some ranging from very vague to very personal. Several stood out as Michael wasn’t even certain how to answer them himself.

“Will we be picking our own partners, sir?” Isobel was the first student to speak up  
“No, Miss Evans, I have already assigned the combinations” he assured her “you will be working with Miss DeLuca”  
“What?” Both girls cried out in disbelief  
“Assignments are final” he insisted “so don’t even think about wasting your breath on arguing with me”

Michael continued to read through the questions while Mr Morris called out the pairings. He was too invested in trying to think of what he was going to say to most of the questions that he didn’t catch the name of his partner then when no one approached him at the end of class, he collected his books and made his way to the front.

“Excuse me, Mr Morris?” Michael knew how to be polite when the situation called for it.  
“Ah Mr Guerin. Problem with your assignment?”  
“No, of course not”  
“You’ve scored the highest grade of all the students I’ve ever taught, despite showing little to no interest during class… I’m expecting you to work wonders here too”  
“Sir, I uh wasn’t exactly paying attention to who-“  
“Of course you weren’t but I know how much you enjoy the challenge so let’s see how far you manage to get with Mr Manes”  
“Alex Manes? He’s not even here! He’s never here”  
“Well, you’ve got till first thing Monday morning to find him”  
“And we both have to complete the assignment to pass?”  
“That’s right”

He stormed out of the classroom in an annoyed huff and found Isobel waiting by his locker. She looked as annoyed as he felt.  
“Can you believe this stupid assignment?” She asked him.  
“At least your subject was at school today” he snapped back.  
“What are you worried about? You could do this in your sleep”  
“So could you. In fact, why don’t you? Just go for a little dream walk tonight and-“  
“I’m not going to waste valuable time and energy using my abilities on her”  
“Good for you, Iz”  
“What about you? How are you going to ace this when your subject is AWOL?”  
“I’ll guess I’ll just have to figure something out” he slammed his locker shut and saw Isobel wince at the sound but he stalked away before she could say anything else.

*

He was sitting by himself at the Crashdown Cafe watching his classmates slog through their assignments. Isobel was sitting at a table with Maria while Max fielded questions from Kyle Valenti. Michael looked around and wasn’t surprised to see no sign of Alex Manes. He sighed in defeat, packed up his books and left the cafe.

Michael knew where he had to go but he really didn’t want to. It was still better than going home though so he trudged his way across town to the run down Skate Park. The entire place was covered in graffiti and had been condemned several years ago but that didn’t stop kids breaking into it, be it to get drunk or high or just to risk their lives on the equipment. There was a gap in the chain link fence that Michael was able to slip between, tearing his shirt as he went. It wasn’t his first time here but he always hoped it would be his last.

He moved into the park and immediately recognized Manes, from his floppy hair and baggy clothes. The way he moved on the skateboard was a sight to behold, no doubt from years of practice. Michael watched him for a while, wondering how to approach. He did something he shouldn’t and used his powers to lock the back wheels of the board. Manes fell and landed with a loud thud. He was up again in a shot, looked around to see how many people had witnessed it.  
His eyes found Michael and they hardened so he raised his hand in a half-wave and shot him a small smile.  
With a sigh, Manes picked up his board and brushed the dirt from his knees as he approached Michael.

“Michael Guerin as I live and breathe” Manes greeted him. “What brings a smarty pants like you to slum it down here?”  
He watched as Manes stopped and picked up a beer.

“This isn’t my first time to the rodeo” Michael said to him.  
“What’s that cowboy, you asking me to dance?” Manes snapped before taking a mouthful. They were far enough away to not be overheard.

“The fact you just called me a ‘smarty pants’ goes to show just how little you know about me” Michael grimaced.  
“Highest GPA in the class?” Manes didn’t look amused. “If that doesn’t make you a ‘smarty pants’-” he used his free hand to emphasise his use of the words ‘smarty pants’.  
“I need your help” Michael cut him off mid-sentence. 

Manes had the gall to laugh at him which just made Michael all the more annoyed. It was cold and he wasn’t in the mood for this. He reached into his bag and pulled out the assignment.  
“We have to answer these questions then write a paper based on the answers we give” Michael explained “and if one of us doesn’t do it, we both fail”  
“Oh, the humanity”  
“Hey, you might not care but I do”

Manes eyed him up and down.  
“Why do you even care?” Manes asked.  
“Why don’t you?” Michael wanted to know.  
“Is that one of the questions?”  
“No, but you asked. I’ll answer if you do”

“I don’t give a crap about school” Manes replied and Michael immediately knew he was telling the truth “the second I graduate, I have to enlist, to serve my country and grades aren’t needed for that”  
“I don’t give a crap about school either” Michael confessed.  
“Yeah, right” Manes rolled his eyes.  
“I don’t but studying gives me an excuse to not be at home... school, the library, anywhere is better than being at home”

They stared at each other for a long moment until Manes reached for another beer and offered it to Michael. He took it and threw back a long swig.

“You don’t like being at home?” Manes asked. Something in his eyes had softened just the tiniest bit.  
“Foster care isn’t all it’s cracked up to be” Michael admitted. He tried to casually shrug it off but couldn’t quite manage it. Images flashed through his mind, hiding under his bed or fleeing out the window in the middle of the night “my foster father just keeps me around for the monthly check” he took another swig from the bottle. “So I started spending more and more time at the library. There wasn’t a great deal to do there so I found myself actually doing my homework”  
“The library?” Manes snorted.  
“Not all the time; some nights I’d come here to sleep” Michael admitted.

“You’d come here?” there was more than a hint of disbelief in his voice.  
“The fence keeps vermin out and no one ever comes here after midnight” 

Michael turned and headed towards a lopsided bench; he heard footsteps following him. Once he reached the bench, he kicked the broken cement leg with his foot. Manes looked at where he was pointing.

“MG was here?” Manes read aloud.  
“I had to leave my own piece of graffiti behind” Michael tried to sound nonchalant but his voice broke at the memory of the night he’d written it.

“The point is I don’t care” Michael continued “not about school but a scholarship is my only way out of here and the only way to get one is to not fail my assignments”

“Does he lose his temper?” Manes asked.  
His voice was low, eyes still gazing at the graffiti on the bench that Michael wasn’t even sure the other man had spoken.  
“Who?” He asked.  
“Your foster father” Manes still didn’t look up.  
“Only when he’s drunk... which is a lot of the time”  
“Does he...” Manes turned away, took a mouthful of beer “does he beat you?”

There was something in his voice that made Michael want to tell him the truth and another part of him was mad at himself for wanting to open up.  
“Sometimes” Michael’s voice was barely a whisper “but you can’t tell anyone... Ever, okay?”  
“My dad hits me too” Manes replied. 

Michael felt uneasiness in his chest as he frowned at the admission.  
“What reason could he possibly-?” he started.  
“Disappointment in my... life choices” Manes was vague in his response but at least they now had something to hold over the other.  
“Look, I really don’t have time for all this” Michael waved the piece of paper before them to break the weird mood between them. “Can you just answer these so I can leave?”  
“You can leave right now. We’re done here, Guerin”

Manes downed the rest of his beer in one go then tossed the bottle aside. He picked up his board, turned his back on Michael and stormed off.  
Perhaps hanging out at the condemned skate park, drinking beer all day wasn’t the greatest life choice Manes could make but once he was away from Roswell and serving in the army, his father couldn’t not be proud of him. Beating him for childish behaviour was just stupid in Michael’s eyes. He wondered if he’d get in trouble for putting that in his paper.

Knowing their conversation was over, he turned tail and left but he dared to look back when he reached the fence and he saw Manes watching. He could already read the regret on the other man’s face at realizing he’d told Michael too much.

*****

It was gone midnight when the sound of breaking glass awoke him from his light slumber. Michael often slept with one eye and one ear open, never knowing what might be coming next. The sounds continued, followed by a loud yelling but Michael was already out of bed. He grabbed his bag and his shoes, quietly opened the window and slipped out.  
He was barely at the edge of the property, taking shelter behind the one tree in the yard when he heard his name being shouted and he knew his foster father was in his room, looking for him. He shouldered his bag and disappeared into the night.

Michael was halfway to Max and Isobel’s when he stopped himself and just stood in the middle of the road. He’d spent three nights this week on the floor of Max’s room; if he showed up again, he’d be in for another righteous lecture and he wasn’t in the mood for that. He sighed to himself, he’d missed his chance to sneak into the library and the last time he’d taken shelter at the school on a Friday night he’d almost gotten caught.

He didn’t want to go back there but he was out of options. Michael made his way through the cold deserted streets then slipped through the broken fence into the skate park. A few college dropouts were there so he kept his distance as he sank down on the broken bench. There was no protection from the elements here and the wind was starting to pick up. He wished he’d thought to grab a warmer jacket as he sat hugging his bag to his chest for warmth.

He was shivering to the point his teeth were chattering and he wondered if he should’ve just stayed put and taken the beating. They never lasted very long and his body healed surprisingly fast. What was a few bruises to be warm for the rest of the night?  
Michael was about to admit defeat and go home with his bruised pride when he was suddenly enveloped in a spool of warmth caused by a thick jacket being draped around his shoulders.

Michael looked up and found Alex Manes standing before him with a take away coffee cup in his hand. He didn’t say a word as he sat down beside Michael and handed the cup to him. His cold fingers were almost numb as he accepted the cup and pulled the jacket tighter around him. The collar brushed his face and he inhaled the scent of Alex Manes.

“Why don’t you just leave?” Manes asked him.  
“Why don’t you?” Michael couldn’t help snapping back.  
“Because he’s my dad but your situation is totally different. You tell someone, you get moved somewhere better”  
“I’ve been in four different foster homes and this one, isn’t the worst of the bunch. You might not have noticed but there aren’t that many people in Roswell willing to take in strays”  
“What about Max and Isobel Evans?”  
“They were the lucky ones”  
“Aren’t the three of you like related?”  
“What?”

Manes shrugged his shoulders. He reached out and took the coffee back from Michael before taking a sip to warm himself and handing it back.  
“They’re twins, right?” he continued “and you’re always with them… I’m not the only one that’s wondered if you’re actually triplets”  
“You mean because of our striking resemblance to each other?”  
“The fact that the three of you are practically inseparable”  
“Maybe I’m just sleeping with both of them”  
“That would explain why you’re always crawling in and out of Max Evans’s window”  
“You been keeping tabs on me?”  
“Hardly”

Michael raised the cup to his lips and welcomed the warm liquid to heat up his body.  
“So what brings you out here in this freezing cold?” Michael asked him to shift the conversation away from Max and Isobel.  
“I… had a fight with my dad” Manes admitted “and didn’t want to be at home anymore. I remembered our earlier conversation and, in a moment of weakness, decided I should help you get out of here. I went to your house and heard glass breaking and yelling… It wasn’t a nice sight so I took off”  
Manes reached for the coffee and Michael handed it over.  
“I told myself if I came here and you were here then I’d help you with the stupid assignment”

He held back a smile; getting Manes to answer the questions wasn’t even half of the assignment but at least it was a start.  
“Any chance you’ve got the questions in your bag there?” Manes asked him.  
“I do” Michael replied. He shifted and slipped the jacket on properly then reached for his bag, pulled out two copies of the questions and handed one to Manes along with a pen. “You know you have to write one too”  
“We’ll see”

Manes reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flashlight. Michael watched as he also produced a small baggie, opened it up and pulled out a lighter.  
“You want some?” Manes asked before inhaling.  
“I don’t ‘do’ weed” Michael said to him.  
“If you expect me to answer personal questions right now, I’m not doing it without”   
Michael reached out and took it when he brought it to his lips, the only thought in his mind was that the last place it had been was on Manes’s lips.  
“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Manes laughed.

“First question” Michael cut right to the point. “What is your full name?”  
Manes rolled his eyes but gave a complete answer. Michael told him his name too but when Manes didn’t bother to write it down, he took the paper from him and wrote it for him.

“Hey, no fair” Manes snapped “it’s my turn”  
“Question two, what is your favorite color?” Michael continued.  
Manes was easily distracted so Michael found himself having to write a lot of his responses down for him.

“What is the best thing to have ever happened to you?” Manes skipped about four questions.  
“Well, when it finally happens I’ll be sure to let you know” Michael replied. “And you?”  
“It hasn’t happened yet but getting out of this town and away from my dad at long last”  
“Not that you’re counting the days or anything”  
“You know he threatened to send me away to school”  
“Boarding school?”  
“Military school” Manes took another drag from his weed.  
“So why didn’t he?” Michael asked “send you away”  
“A promise to my mother and he’s a man of his word” Manes insisted.

“What is your favourite movie?” Michael asked him.  
“Independence Day” Manes replied. Michael felt the familiar unease pass over him again.  
“Why? You like the idea of killing aliens?”  
“It’s the only answer my father will accept”  
“What’s your actual favourite movie?”  
“Top Gun… I’ve loved it since I was six”  
“So the nostalgia factor”  
“Well, what’s your favourite movie then?”  
“Braveheart”

“Favourite book?” Manes asked.  
“Ulysses” Michael didn’t even hesitate.  
“When did you read that?”  
“Like I said, a lot of time spent in libraries… And your favourite?”  
“The Charioteer… My mother gave it to me for my fourteenth birthday”  
“I uh haven’t gotten around to that one yet”

They continued back and forth until the coffee was long gone and only a handful of questions remained.   
“What’s your most vivid memory?” Michael asked. In his mind, he could see himself along with Max and Isobel climbing out of their pods but the image flashed to the first time he saw Max using his powers before he remembered the time he was almost beaten to death by another foster kid.  
“What’s yours?” Manes asked him.  
“The second foster family I was placed with… I was nine years old and they had a son who had left for college and he came home for spring break. He gave me my first beer. I can still remember the condensation on the bottle and how bitter it tasted in my mouth but he encouraged me to drink the entire bottle. I felt woozy” he stared down at the paper in his hands but could feel Manes staring at him “he undid my pants and started touching me. I was scared but I didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to make him stop. I just closed my eyes and prayed it would be over soon then every lightbulb in the room just exploded. He got glass in his eye and took off. I stumbled outside and threw up in the bushes. His parents found me outside the following morning and took me straight back to group home because I was ‘too much trouble’ for them”  
He blinked back the tears he didn’t want to shed. He hadn’t even told Max and Isobel that story. He felt a hand on his arm and he looked up. Manes was looking at him almost sympathetically.

“After my mother’s treatments failed” he began “she wanted to die at home with her family so they brought all the machines and everything in. She was set up in her own room downstairs and she had one of those portable DVD players for watching movies. One afternoon, I came home from school and she called me into her room, told me she had a surprise for me. There was a package in her lap, something she’d ordered online that she’d gotten just for me” he averted his eyes, remembering every detail of that day “she told me to bring the DVD player over and I crawled onto the bed beside her. It was a copy of Brokeback Mountain. I’d wanted to see it since it came out but didn’t want my father to know, obviously. So I curled up on the bed beside her and we watched the movie together, she held my hand and told me she loved me and that she was proud of me” he blinked back tears “when it was over, she put the DVD back in the case and scribbled a note saying ‘Be proud to be yourself, Alex, love mom’ then she put the note inside the case and gave it to me. Told me it would always be our little secret”

Michael reached out, it was his turn to offer comfort to Manes.  
“She died four days later” he added “after the funeral; I was sitting on my bed with the DVD and her note in my hand and crying my eyes out when my father came in and saw what I was holding. He grabbed the disc and he snapped it in half”

Tears were streaming down his face at this point so Michael reached out and wrapped his arms around him. He’d never even met Manes’s father and now he hoped he never would. How anyone could be so cruel to their own son, he’d never know.  
It was a sign of how upset Manes was for he allowed Michael to comfort him; he reached out and grasped Michael’s hand in his own. In that moment, Michael knew Manes had never told anyone this story before. In the middle of a cold, dark night, for reasons neither of them could understand, they were telling each other their deepest secrets.

They sat on the bench for the rest of the night, until the sun began to peek through the clouds. At the first sign of day break, Manes appeared to collect himself. He hastily shoved the piece of paper into his pocket then turned on his heel and ran off without so much as a goodbye. Michael stayed put, Manes’ jacket still wrapped around him. He watched the retreating form of his classmate and, for the briefest moment, he longed to go after him.

*****

Michael headed for the town library and was fast asleep on the front step when the librarian arrived to open up. She knew Michael very well by this point and was happy to let him in despite opening hour still being an hour away. Michael carried his bag to his usual spot in the corner and tried to make sense of the notes he’d scribbled about Manes during the night. He fell asleep in no time though and was shaken out of his slumber by the librarian when it was time for her to close up for the day.  
He was annoyed he’d spent the entire day not getting any work done so he packed up his stuff and headed for the Crashdown. He was starving and Max was likely there, drooling over the Ortecho girl. Sure enough, Max was there and he hadn’t ordered yet. Michael took the opportunity to join him, order food and get Max to pay for it.

“You look like hell, Michael” Max said to him as the waitress walked away.  
“Was up all night, okay” Michael snapped.

The last thing he wanted right now was a lecture from Max.  
“Is that a new jacket?” Max asked him. “No wonder you can’t afford any food”  
“It’s not mine” Michael shrugged.  
“Tell me you didn’t steal it”  
“Of course not, I… Borrowed it from a… friend”  
“You don’t have any friends”  
“What does that make you then?” 

They fell into an uncomfortable silence as Michael pulled the jacket around him. He knew he was going to have to give it back and decided to drop it off on his way home.  
“Did you finish your paper for Mr Morris?” Max asked in an attempt to change the subject.  
“Not yet” Michael confessed “it’s a bit hard when your subject is nowhere to be found”  
“I spent half of last night trying to get a straight answer out of Kyle but all he did was talk about Liz”  
“How devastating for you”  
“Talk about all the dates they’ve been on and all the places he’d taken her to make out”  
“So like I said, devastating for you”

At that moment, Liz appeared at their table with their orders. She smiled at Max as she handed him his burger then shot a very quizzical look at Michael.  
“Nice jacket” she quipped.  
“Go away” he snapped.  
“Michael!” Max scolded him.  
“It’s fine, I was just teasing” Liz smiled at Max again before backing away.  
“Michael, that was rude”  
“If I don’t finish this paper, my grades will slide and she’ll beat me to that scholarship”  
“A scholarship you don’t even want”  
“Says you”  
“You don’t really want to leave Roswell, do you?”  
“Try spending a night at my place yourself Max then tell me I don’t want to leave”

They turned their attention to their meals and ate in silence. Michael had been starving from not eating all day but now he had very little appetite. Once their plates had been taken away, he reached into his bag to find his notes and he started to skim through them. Max was completely oblivious as he continued to stare at Liz.  
Realizing he’d missed a few questions, Michael knew he really did need to see Alex again so he took his leave without even saying goodbye to Max and started towards the Manes home.

The Manes lived very close to the Army base, the opposite direction of Michael’s foster home. It was a long walk but gave him time to start compiling his paper in his head. He cursed Mr Morris; it wasn’t enough to just get the answers to the questions no they had to compose a damn paper incorporating the answers too. He had little hope that Manes would actually do it so he was resigned to writing two papers.  
He eventually found the right address but froze when he could hear yelling before he even reached the front door. He took a deep breath and slowly released it as he headed up the drive. Just hours ago he’d hoped to never have to meet Sargent Manes and here he was about to knock on his front door while he was clearly in the midst of a screaming match with someone.

Michael raised his hand, took another deep breath, held his head up high and pressed the doorbell. The sounds inside immediately stopped then he heard footsteps. The door opened and Sargent Manes was standing before him; he was a tall, overbearing man but Michael wasn’t easily intimidated. He spied Alex over the man’s shoulder.

“Mr Manes” he greeted him “I’m Michael Guerin, I go to school with your son and-”  
“Take that off, now!”   
Sargent Manes’ nostrils appeared to flare before he turned and rounded on Alex.  
“What is this kid doing wearing your mother’s jacket?” he demanded to know.

Michael saw the fear in Alex’s eyes as his father rounded on him.  
“It’s not what you think” Alex tried to explain “he was cold and-”   
“Sir, please, I was just coming to return it” Michael stepped inside and hurried towards the father and son. He was already in the midst of taking the jacket off when Sargent Manes turned to him with a raised fist. Michael was used to dodging attacks but he wasn’t used to someone throwing themselves in the line of fire.  
One minute Sargent Manes was advancing on him and the next, Alex was in front of him with blood seeping from his nose.

Michael threw the jacket aside where it landed on the couch then he helped Alex to his feet.  
“Just go, Guerin” Alex snapped at him.  
“No, I’m not leaving you here” Michael argued.

Maybe his father felt guilty for what he’d done for he didn’t try to stop Alex from leaving with Michael. Blood was pouring down Alex’s face and Michael feared his nose was broken. He hoped they wouldn’t have to go to the emergency room.  
“It’s okay” Alex said to him “I know somewhere we can go” 

So Alex led the way, the few blocks to the nearby army base. On the very outskirts of the base was a small building with a faded sign that said ‘Army Museum’. Alex jumped the low fence and Michael followed him. They moved around the back of the building and Alex pushed on the door marked ‘Emergency Exit’. It opened at his touch.  
He led the way through the nearly empty building to what was once a staff room. Alex sank down on the couch then pointed towards a cupboard.  
Michael followed his lead and found a first aid kit. He moved back to Alex’s side and dabbed at the blood. His nose didn’t look good; Michael was certain he could heal it but he’d never tried before. He balled up a handful of tissues and held them firmly over Alex’s nose.

“Ouch” Alex exclaimed as Michael pinched his bleeding nose.  
“I’m sorry” Michael apologised. Alex reached up and touched his nose. It didn’t hurt anymore.  
“I uh don’t think it’s broken”  
“Manes-”  
“Don’t”  
“I just wanted to say thank you”  
“Thank you?”  
“No one has ever taken a punch for me before”  
“Well, don’t expect it to happen again”

Michael found some more tissues and ran them under the tap. He returned to Alex’s side and carefully washed the blood from his face. His touch was gentle as he didn’t want to hurt Alex any more than he was already hurting.

“I’m sorry your dad’s an ass” Michael whispered.  
“So am I” Alex agreed.  
“I didn’t know about the jacket. I was there to return it though”  
“I didn’t expect him to react like that… Didn’t think he’d even recognize it”

Alex reached up to take the damp tissues from Michael but ended up taking his hand instead.  
“He never should’ve tried to hit you” Alex apologised on his father’s behalf.  
“Thanks for trying to protect me”  
“You didn’t deserve that”  
“Neither did you”

Michael leaned over and placed a single kiss to Alex’s lips. He pulled away before the other man could react, be it to return the kiss or push him away. Michael then got to his feet and looked around the small room.  
“So where exactly are we?” he asked, changing the subject.  
“Army museum” Alex replied “they closed it down over a year ago to better assign the funding. It’s been empty ever since. Doors never locked and security stopped patrolling here months ago” he paused “so uh if you ever need a place to crash”  
“I’ll keep it in mind”

“I really should go back” Alex said “talk to my dad”  
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Michael asked him.  
“The longer I stay away, the worse it is when I get back”  
“Manes-”  
“My brother should be home by now. He’s usually the voice of reason”

Michael’s heart was racing as Alex got up and walked away. He watched his retreating form but didn’t try to stop him. His mind was reeling from the events of the past half hour. Sargent Manes had lost it just because he’d been wearing a jacket that belonged to Alex’s mother? Alex Manes had taken a punch from his father intended for Michael? He’d just kissed Alex Manes?

This paper was going to be harder to write than he ever imagined.

*****

He sneaked out of the Army Museum just before daybreak and headed home. Once there, he grabbed something for breakfast then locked himself in his room for the rest of the day to write his paper on Alex then write a second paper that could pass as Alex’s paper on him. The second one was much harder to write as he tried to make it sound like Manes had written it based on the little information Michael had given him during their talk in the park.  
Unfortunately he kept getting distracted as he remembered little things Alex had told him or he lost himself in the memory of Alex’s deep eyes. He could still smell his scent from the jacket, could remember how soft his lips had been. He wished he hadn’t pulled away so quickly… Had Alex even realized Michael had kissed him?

It took all day and several attempts but by the time he went to sleep that night, both papers had been completed. He marched into school the following morning and placed his paper on Mr Morris’s desk. Alex Manes didn’t show up for class but Michael did spot him in the cafeteria at lunchtime with Liz and Maria. He kept his distance though just because they’d been nice to each other, didn’t make them friends.

At the end of the day, Michael was collecting his books from his locker when he heard an authoritive voice call his name. He turned around and saw Mr Morris standing behind him.  
“Mr Guerin, please follow me to my office”

Michael closed his locker, shouldered his bag and followed Mr Morris to his office. He followed the teacher inside and was surprised to find Alex already there.  
“Please have a seat Mr Guerin” He sat.   
“I knew this assignment would be interesting” he continued “the last thing you’d want to do, Mr Guerin, is jeopardize your GPA. So I wasn’t surprised to find myself giving you an A on your paper” he turned to look at Alex “Mr Guerin seems to value you higher than you value yourself Mr Manes”  
Michael thought his saw Alex’s lip twitch.  
“But my greatest surprise came when I found that Mr Manes here had submitted not one but two papers”

Both Michael and Alex looked at each other in surprise.  
“Now I understand that Mr Guerin was concerned that he might fail so he submitted a paper on Mr Manes behalf” Mr Morris continued “however, after having read both papers on Mr Guerin… I don’t know which one is the fake. Both earned a solid ‘B’. So either way, Mr Guerin dumbed it down to make it appear Mr Manes had written it and Mr Manes here outdid himself by submitting his best work of the year”  
“So what’s our punishment, sir?”

Mr Morris reached into the pile and handed Michael’s paper on Alex. He then handed both papers about Michael to Michael.  
“I’m just going to let you each read what the other wrote” he explained “then we can all forget this”  
“No punishment?” Michael asked him.   
“You wrote two papers, Mr Manes actually bothered to write one. Unless you both want detention”  
“No, Sir”

They sat in silence as they each read the other’s papers. Michael made sure to read both so Mr Morris wouldn’t be able to determine which was his and which was Alex’s. When he finished, he put the papers back on the desk and hoped Mr Morris wouldn’t let all the students read what they’d written about each other. Alex’s paper on his was beautiful. He dared to sneak a peek at Alex but hastily looked away when he realized he was wiping tears from his eyes. When their teacher told them they were free to go, Alex was out the door like a shot. Michael tried to follow him but by the time he reached the car park, Alex Manes was long gone.

*****

Michael tried to approach Alex over the next few days but the other man stayed close to Liz or Maria so Michael wasn’t able to get him on his own. It was beyond annoying because he really wanted the chance to talk to Alex about the things in his paper and about their rushed kiss. Alex was the last thing he thought about when he closed his eyes at night and the first thing that popped into his mind when he woke in the morning.

By Friday, he was going out of his mind. He needed Alex. Needed to talk to him. He knew he needed to do something to get his attention. Michael made certain Alex was at school then slipped a note into his locker. He hid nearby and waited until he was certain Alex had found and read his note which was straight to the point. It simply read ‘meet me at the museum at ten o’clock tonight’.

He had to make a few stops to get all the supplies he needed then he followed the path Alex had taken him to the door marked emergency exit. Michael slipped inside and started moving furniture around; he cleared enough space and hung up a sheet for the projector then he adjusted the projector so the image would fill the entire wall.  
Just before ten, he used his powers to pop the popcorn and placed it on the couch which was now facing the sheet. His makeshift movie theatre was just about ready.

Ten o’clock came and went. At ten fifteen, Michael moved about the room as he heard the far door open. A wave of his hand and all the candles in the room lit up.

“Guerin?”  
Alex’s voice was soft and nervous as he moved into the room. Michael was terrified when Alex appeared in the doorway. His eyes surveyed the candles, the popcorn, the projector and Michael, who stepped closer and reached out to take Alex’s hand in his. The hand he’d been hiding behind his back he brought around to reveal a single white rose.  
“You said white roses were your mother’s favourite” Michael said. Alex nodded his head.  
“What uh Guerin? What’s all this?”  
“No one has ever done what you did for me”  
“My dad was out of line-”  
“Not just the punch, the paper and the things you wrote in that paper”  
“Guerin-”  
“I’m sorry my paper upset you” Michael continued “I didn’t mean for it… I didn’t intend you to ever read it”

“There was a question that I didn’t answer” Alex stammered “but you just seemed to know”  
“Question twelve” Michael replied “if you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be and why?”  
“My mother” Alex’s voice cracked with emotion “So I could tell her I miss her and to hear her tell me she loved me one more time”

Michael nodded his head in understanding. His hand still holding Alex’s, he led him over to the couch and sat him down then he switched the projector on. The screen came to life as the DVD began to play. The title menu came up and Alex gasped.

“Where did you-?” he started.  
“Get a copy of Brokeback Mountain?” Michael finished for him “it’s from my private collection”   
Michael sank down on the couch beside Alex who immediately reached for his hand as the movie started to play. Not long into the film, Michael’s arm sneaked around Alex’s shoulder and he pulled him toward him, Alex settled himself against Michael’s chest.

“If my mother could see me now…” Alex whispered.  
“She’d still be proud of you” Michael replied.

Alex turned and looked up into Michael’s shining eyes.  
“Thank you” he whispered “for doing this for me, for… thank you for everything”

Michael leaned closer, closer, closer until their lips were almost touching. Alex smiled at him and he knew it was okay to bridge the gap. Michael’s lips found Alex’s as his hand brushed his cheek and he pulled him close, deepening the kiss and taking in the taste of Alex Manes’ sensual lips. They tasted like popcorn which Michael found oddly arousing.

When they finally parted, Alex smiled up at Michael.  
“I could stay in Roswell forever if you keep kissing me like that” Alex whispered.  
“As long as you’re in my arms, I’ll always kiss you like that” Michael replied.  
They exchanged one more kiss before turning their attention back to the movie. Alex smiled to himself and closed his eyes as he whispered to himself ‘thank you, mom, for sending me an Angel of my very own’.


End file.
